I know for a while yet, this novel will stick with me. It will not be easily forgotten. This was easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it knocked my expectations out of the water.
The central protagonist of this novel -- its namesake, Addie LaRue -- is a girl who essentially sells her soul to the devil for an immortal life. For three-hundred years she is destined to be forgotten by everybody who ever lays eyes on her the moment a door shuts between them. However, in modern day New York City, one person finally remembers her.
Schwab's writing is poignant and stirring, painting vivid images with only a few words. It is not an action-packed novel, yet I was hanging onto the edge of my seat the entire time. Addie's story is gripping in the best way possible; she is both bold and soft, strong and emotional. This novel is a wonderful work of literature that will stick in a reader's mind for weeks after closing it.

I am so glad I had a night to think on this review because I want to cover as much as I can without *too much*

First let me start by thanking Netgalley for this ARC. NOTE* I will be purchasing this for my library because I want to put this in as many hands as I can. I was NOT surprised at all when I found out that this book was MANY years in the making.

OK, *cracks knuckles* I am so grateful that I pushed through on this one because I typically do not on books that are super descriptive and take a bit to get going. This was so worth it. It was a roller coaster of a journey and the plot took a bit to get there but when it gets there...BAM.... it gets there.

This is one of those books that you HAVE to commit to. Absorb it. Devour it. Think on it and then start all over again.

Adeline is a tough cookie. This book starts out in France in the 1700's. Addie doesn't want to be tied down. She wants to be free. She is a free spirit, an artist and a thinker. When forced to marry, she is suffocating. She is going to die being shackled. So she does the only thing she can think of - makes a deal. This deal leaves her with a curse that no one can remember her. She can't leave a mark on the world. It is awfully lonely.

Addie travels the world and gives up many different things but the one thing she refuses is her soul. This book follows Addie over many decades and finishes up in the 2010's with what had to be one of THE best endings.

The absolute beautiful writing style hooked me. When I would typically call a book DNF, I pushed through because I was entranced.

I can't wait to see the print copy of this because I am sure there will be art work that will tie in with the story.

Characters to love:

Adeline
Henry
Luc

I can't say anymore without giving away too much but this IS a love story but is it possible to love the devil? Read and see!!!

This is (somehow) my first V.E. Schwab and I will be checking out her backlist immediately. Incredible writing, richly drawn characters, a truly unique plot. This will fly off the shelves

With each book, V.E Schwab creates a more incredible world and concept. Every time I think she might run out of creative ideas, she continues to surprise me and remind me why she is my favorite author of all time. Addie LaRue is the story that Schwab has been working over the course of ten years to write, and you can tell that from the amount of love and dedication in written into the pages of this book.

Addie LaRue was like nothing I have ever read before. Within the first couple of chapters, I could not stop reading and was hooked. I devoured the story of Addie, which was much more than just a story of a girl who sold her life to the devil. There is really no other way to describe this book that a work of pure literary perfection.

I have already started to recommend this book to so many people with plans to continue recommending it nonstop. This became a favorite book within just a few chapters and my love only grew as I kept turning the pages.

Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

I wanted to like this book more, but I can't. I was drawn to it by the description, but it didn't suck me in. If it takes me more than 3 days to read a book then there is a problem. I had to force myself to finish it, and if it was a book I had gotten from the library, I probably wouldn't have bothered. I've never read any of her other books, and if they are anything like this, I probably won't. If you like her other books, then you will like this one.

When Schwab initially announced this book I was skeptical, but since she hasn’t written a book I haven’t at least enjoyed so far, I gave it a chance and I am so glad! I really dig Schwab’s style--it’s lyrical, dark and goes places I want it to go while still being surprising. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is sad, beautiful and bittersweet. The imagery is gorgeous and there are some scenes that just feel so real and tangible. I am especially impressed by Schwab’s talent to create such complex and nuanced characters, especially her women. Lila from Darker Shades, Kate Harker from Monster of Verity, and Addie are all such great complex women characters who are vastly different from each other but all feel real. I loved seeing Addie grow and change over her three centuries, how strong yet kind she stayed. Luc was a great complicated antagonist who was equally terrifying and intriguing, and Henry Strauss broke my heart. I will most definitely buy this when it is officially released and the odds are high that I will reread this whenever I go through my next Schwab re-reading kick.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I would like to give this book more than 5 stars- it's easily my favorite book of the year thus far, which is saying something in July, because I've read quite a few I loved.
This story was familiar in some of the things it explored- the limits of being a woman in a male-dominated world, loneliness, mental health, while offering new sharp commentary on ideas and art, and what it means to live a life worth living.
I cried toward the end, so connected to these characters, but was ultimately absolutely dazzled with a sense of vindication by the final page. I can't recommend it enough.

This book really hurt my heart. And I loved it.

It is a beautifully written story about living life to the fullest and, yet, missing out on something very significant.

Three hundred years ago, Addie LaRue begged the gods for a way out of the life she was doomed to lead. The darkness answered, twisting her plea as devils do, to try and make her life miserable. She could live as long as she wanted, see as much of the world as she wanted, but she couldn't share her experiences with anyone. They wouldn't remember her once she left their eyesight.

She changed the curse to her advantage--mostly out of spite.

Reading this book in the middle of a global pandemic where you're supposed to be staying away from others not in your household really made the loneliness permeating throughout the pages really hit hard. Life is supposed to be full of memories with your loved ones. When you look back on your past experiences, they're supposed to have other people in them.

I loved this book. Interesting and great writing. What a life Addie has lived. I will recommend it to library patrons. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read, with lots of twists and turns and lots of big, meaty ideas presented and played with. The writing style is also flawlessly beautiful in many places.

The main characters are well drawn and, if not always sympathetic, at least always interesting, and the secondary characters are also much more fleshed out than you normally find.

That being said, I did have a few problems with it. Mainly that it was too long. In writing classes they always tell you that a scene should be doing multiple things at once, whereas in Addie, there were entire chapters that were nothing but characterization and did nothing to move the plot forward. This made the book very put-downable for me.

Your mileage may vary on this point though, because when all the pieces came together at the end, it was pretty damn impressive.

**3.45**
**ARC provided by NetGalley**

First off, I think this book was incredibly ambitious.
The core concept the narrative is centered on (a girl being forgotten when she is out of sight) gave Schwab a fine line to walk to keep the world believable within the boundaries this single idea created and I was frequently impressed by her ability to abide by her own rules. Plenty of authors don't bother to maintain their own rules when they're operating within fantasy.

From my understanding following Scwab on Instagram, I know that this was a book at least partially inspired by V.E. Schwab's relationship and history with her depression which is what compelled me to want to read it.
While there were a couple parts of this book where I felt very seen and I enjoyed the idea of the story, I found the book slow-paced and uneventful and left me wanting more from the book.
I am usually of on the unpopular side of opinions when it comes to Schwab's books though and I could see fans of her Monsters of Verity duology enjoying this immensely.

The story of learning to live well with the life you're given instead of the life you wished for, to guard against unintended consequences, and to know your own power and worth.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is about a young 18th century French woman named Adeline who makes a deal with a mystical power (the devil, an old god, whatever you want to call him). Her soul in exchange for her freedom. What Adeline doesn't understand is that Luc, as she will call him, is a stickler for words and what Adeline agrees to isn't exactly what she prayed for...

I enjoyed this book. It is impeccably plotted. The characters are well written and compelling. It was exciting to see how Schwab peppered the book with historical events and figures. I appreciated the discussion of time and what one would do with finite or infinite amounts of it. If one is given infinite time, are they even human anymore? Are we human because of our limited time on the planet? Some really interesting ideas to think about in this book.

All that being said, I never got completely swept up by this book. It took me almost a month to read. I never felt that incredible urge to see what happened next. My interest did increase significantly when a certain character was introduced about half way through the book. I just never got that special feeling I need to rate a book 5 stars. I will note that Schwab lands the ending pretty perfectly.

Recommended for fans of V.E. Schwab, fantastical romance stories, and all things timey-wimey.

An engrossing Faustian story for a new age. In the 1700s Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil: In exchange for immortality, the devil will have her soul when she doesn’t want it anymore. The catch? Nobody can remember her once she is out of sight. For three hundred years she travels the world alone, her only legacy the art she has inspired along the way (even though the artists don’t remember their muse). Then, in 2014, she shoplifts from a New York City bookshop ... and the shop clerk doesn’t forget her. Their budding romance is almost as captivating as the story of Addie’s long life. Addie LaRue is such a remarkable character – resilient and brave and full of wonder – that by the end of the book, three centuries doesn’t seem like enough time with her. I cannot recommend this beautiful, heart-wrenching novel enough.

Everything is so so good. I hardly know what to say, as I was wasted when I finished reading it last night. Sobbing is too common a word for how I reacted. There were tears to be sure. But I had to keep getting myself under some semblance of control just to be able to finish. And I am so grateful for whatever forces made me able to feel so deeply as I read combined with the gift that is VE Schwab and this perfect book.

The premise is remarkable. Addie is a wonder. Henry is gonna live in me for years (as did Wesley from another one of her amazing stories). And Luc. Well. Luc is the one that I shouldn’t want to love/yearn for. But, Addie is not alone in that way. Even Sam and Toby and Remy are snug in my soul. And Estele. Ahhhhh, the crone is the dearest.

It was a longer wait than I would have liked, but rarely has a wait been so worth it. Gawd this book is worth it. Thanks, NetGalley. And VE Schwab. Would it interest you to know that I pictured YOU as Addie? Don’t know why, but that’s what happened as I read. And I really dug it. Such a gift. Thanks. 💜📚

VE Schwab is a master at atmosphere. I loved this book.
I loved the description and I loooOOoooOOve when Schwab uses run on sentences; it's like watching a montage of moments and its done so beautifully, and every page of this story was so lush.
My only complaint I can think of is that some chapters where Luc came back to tempt Addie became repetitive. Towards the end, though, they started to all tie together really nicely.
I usually don't like when books skip around on the timeline, and this book does that A LOT. And it worked. I don't think this plot would have worked so well if it were linear.
Henry is a gem. I wanted to cry I loved their love so much. This book may end up one of the few that I actually delve into again another time.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab is one of the best books I read all year. I enjoyed it 100%.

A love story about a willful young woman who wanted to live freely and a young man who just wanted to be loved for who he is. Great for readers who love a good love story and fantastic writing.

The book opened in 1714 in France, when 23 year old Addie LaRue, tired of being told what to do and wanted to escaped an arranged marriage, sold her soul to the devil (plainly called the shadow in the book) in exchange for freedom, ‘free from courtship, free from marriage, free from everything except Villon. Left alone to grow. And dream.’ The shadow granted her immortality. She was 300 years old in 2014, and had lived many lives, with many names, but nobody remembered her; memories of her ‘erased by a closing door, an instant out of sight, a moment of sleep. Unable to leave a mark on anyone, or anything’, until one day, at The Book, a young man named Henry, remembered her. And it goes without saying, they fell in love. But how was it that Henry could remember her?

The timeline went back and forth - from when Addie LaRue was still trying to grasp her ‘invisibility’ and working her way around it, travelling to places beyond her imagination were she to live her previous life, to the present moment in 2014 when she met Henry, an employee at The Book bookstore, who also had struggles of his own.

Truth to be told – I’m ambivalent about this book. The good things first. I was enamored by Schwab’s writing: her descriptions of people, places and emotions were just beautiful. I had many passages highlighted, one of which was about Henry: “His heart has a draft. It lets in light. It lets in storms. It lets in everything.” So simple, yet so profound. Isn’t that just beautiful?

Another one: “Being forgotten, she thinks, is a bit like going mad. You begin to wonder, what is real, if you are real. After all, how can a thing be real if it cannot be remembered?”

Henry’s entrance to the story kind of lifted the story a little bit. In fact, I thought his character, as compared to Addie’s, had more dimension and his life a little bit more interesting even though it was only set in New York. And New York felt more real as compared to the other places like Spain and England which Addie had also visited. I was also intrigued by the shadow, which I didn’t get much of, and only saw more of him towards the end.

Unfortunately for me, unlike many other readers, I found it difficult to connect to Addie, who, besides her strong desire to live freely, hardly grew as a character. 300 years into her life, she was still a 23-year-old. And although Estelle was portrayed as someone whom Addie cared dearly, I just couldn’t feel it – the bond and the relationship was told, but wasn’t shown.

Like the title, Addie felt ‘invisible’ to me. Just fleeting moments of her travels here and there, times spent with her lovers here and there. And just when she was in a moment of struggle, fighting for her life, she’d be saved by the shadow, or she’d wish for him to come save her, even though she knew she’d liven no matter what. There was hardly a moment of tension, or a momentous event throughout her 300 years of life.

If I were to describe this novel with graphic lines, except for the intriguing start and a faster pace towards the end, the middle would be represented by wavy lines across the graph.

Overall the book was written beautifully, so much so that the writing itself overshadowed the characters and its story. But after reading some reviews, I can see that I fall in the minority. Maybe this book just wasn’t for me.

That said, I loved the idea of the story and I'm certain that many others will enjoy this book, unfortunately not me. Definitely my loss! But I'm looking forward to reading Schwab’s popular Shades of Magic series – that’s already on my shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this much raved-about book in exchange for an honest review, I'm truly thankful! All opinions are mine.

"It is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing, to be forgotten."

First of all, I want to thank Tor Publishing for letting me have an E-ARC copy to review of this book. I practically groveled at their feet, I wanted this book so badly. I am forever grateful to have the chance to read this book early, at what felt like the perfect time.

Just as a short, short summary: Addie LaRue sells her soul in order to live for as long as she wants. The only catch is that everyone Addie ever meets will not remember her...until one day, someone does.

This book felt timeless, just like Addie. The way Schwab jumps between times and stories in Addie's life were just so well done and kept the book moving at such a great pace. Things felt like they were progressing yet also like we had just scratched the surface. I sat down to read one night, starting at 70%. I kept reading and reading and I KNEW I had to be close to the end, but I was dreading the end so much, I refused to check on my percentage bar. I just did not know how this book would wrap up and I honestly just plain ol did not want it to end.

"Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives - or to find strength in a very long one."

Schwab has been quoted saying this is the closest she will probably ever come to writing a love story and I am absolutely okay with that. One of the things I have loved the most about her books I have read thus far is that a love interest/story is not the front and center of her books. I feel like Addie LaRue tells a love story, but not between Addie and someone, but rather a love story between Addie and life. Addie's drive and determination and her ability to maintain her sense of wonder is so inspiring. But also all the loves along the way were all perfectly written.

Every character felt just as fleshed out as Addie. I thoroughly enjoyed the dichotomy of Luc and Henry. As always, Schwab does a wonderful job presenting a character you are supposed to dislike, someone who is supposed to be "bad" and then explores more than just that in those characters. The tree in the graveyard scene really...got me.

"But this is how you walk to the end of the world.
This is how you live forever.
Here is one day, and here is the next, and the next, and you take what you can, savor every stolen second, cling to every moment, until its gone."

I think I will stick to a shorter review this time around. I feel almost certain that I will want to reread this book once I finally have a physical copy in my hands and will post a longer, extremely detailed review after that. I normally enjoy my ebook experience, but I could just feel the longing for the physical copy of this book. I think it will be even better to own this one physically.

If you take anything from this review, it should be that you need to pre-order this book ASAP. And read it as soon as it comes in. This book felt like home to me, like it was made for me. I know it sounds overdramatic, but I just cannot express how much this book impacted me.

Everything you've heard about V.E. Schwab being the Queen of Fantasy and her amazing writing is true. All of it.

In a rare play, she managed to bowl me over with the beauty and complexity of this novel. One doesn't usually come to fantasy for heart, but this book delivers. A story about a girl cursed to be forgotten is a story you as a reader will never forget.

Six out of five for this masterpiece.